CRUCIFIX CHOKE

The crucifix choke is the gi-specific blood choke executed from the crucifix position, in which the attacker uses one of the opponent's own collars (or the attacker's own sleeve) to strangle while the opponent's arm is trapped between the attacker's legs. The technique is one of the canonical attacks from the crucifix position, alongside the bow-and-arrow and kimura, and produces a high finishing rate because the crucifix's structural advantage gives the attacker time to set up the grip carefully.

The mechanics begin from established crucifix with one of the opponent's arms trapped between the attacker's legs. The attacker reaches down to grip the opponent's collar (or threads a lapel through) from above, then pulls the collar across the opponent's neck while the body position prevents escape. The combined pull of the collar and the structural compression of the crucifix produce a fast blood choke that the opponent cannot defend conventionally because their arm is trapped and cannot hand-fight the choking grip.

Eddie Bravo and the 10th Planet system popularized the crucifix as a submission hub in no-gi contexts, and the gi-specific crucifix choke has been used extensively by IBJJF competitors who have integrated the position into their broader competitive game. Defensively the choke is escaped by preventing the crucifix from establishing in the first place (tuck the elbow tight to defend the leg-trap), by rolling toward the captured-arm side to disrupt the angle, or by attacking the attacker's exposed leg with a leg-lock entry if no-gi rules permit.